Wrestlers cutting to get ahead

Willing to eat less to gain more

By Mike Brohard Sports Editor

Posted:
01/14/2013 07:29:57 PM MST

Thompson Valley High School senior Francisco Marquez works out with assistant coach Simon Hoepfner on Monday. Ranked No. 2 in Class 4A at 170 pounds, Marquez is dropping to 160 where he feels he has a better chance to win a state title. (Jenny Sparks)

Francisco Marquez said he was feeling pretty good about things, and he was wondering if he should just stay put.

A senior at Thompson Valley High School, he was ranked second in Class 4A at 170 pounds and had suffered just one loss -- to Bennett's Caleb Copeland, No. 1 in 3A and nationally ranked. As Christmas break approached, Marquez said he figured he would stay at 170 and scrap his preseason plan of dropping down to 160.

By the time the break was over, Marquez had changed his mind, and Monday before practice, tipped the scales at an even 160. Coach Dave Juergensen feels it was the right move for him to make.

Thompson Valley High School's wrestling team had a quandary this season with two state-qualfiers best suited to wrestle at 132 pounds. Ben Hewson, rig ht, lost his wrestle-off with Tanner Williams, left, forcing the sophomore to cut weight to stay in the lineup.
(Jenny Sparks)

"I think that's where he belongs at," Juergensen said. "You never know if there is a kid cutting from 180 to 170. He's been a good enough athlete to handle giving up weight. But I feel going down to 160 is where he needs to be."

In truth, Marquez never weighed 170. He never weighed in at bigger than 167, and with the two-pound weight allowance after break, Marquez said he's really not cutting any weight at all. What he's gaining is all beneficial.

Over break, he looked at the rankings, noticing a lot of guys at 160 had dropped down. Marcus Velasquez of Montrose is ranked No. 1 in the division, and Marquez has beaten him at state the past two years. For him, it's all about chasing a state title, and he feels stronger at 160 than he ever did at 170.

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"It was the shots," Marquez said. "The bigger presence, those guys were naturally bigger than me. At 60s, they are either smaller than me or the same size. I'm stronger than them, and because wrestling up -- I know 10 pounds isn't a lot -- but those are some big boys at 70s. At 60s, the tempo is faster, but they're not as big and strong."

Marquez isn't doing anything out of the ordinary. Because of the two-pound weight allowance coming out of break (a health measure dictated by the National Federation of State High School Associations), Marquez really has to weigh in at 162 for his first competition of the week. Wrestlers get an extra pound each additional day of competition.

Tim Yount, who does the On the Mat rankings, tracks wrestlers in the state all year, saying that most years, 10-12 percent of wrestlers will cut coming out of the break. But there are more safety measures involved now. For the past two years, at the beginning of the season, doctors go to every school to gauge wrestlers' bodies, including skin-fold and hydration tests. From there, they determine the lightest weight at which the wrestler can safely compete, based on 7 percent body fat.

Long gone are the days of hanging out in a sauna with a rubber suit under sweats.

"When I was in school, we never had a hydration test," said Berthoud coach Scott Pickert, a three-time state champion. "I remember we used to go up to the pool and blow all the air out, and they did that for a good idea of where you should be. But it's not only high school now, it's in college. They have to take hydration tests, and make sure their body is capable."

Pickert said once the decision is made -- and he has five wrestlers cutting on plan like Marquez, by far the most of any area team -- it's a group project between coach, wrestler and their parents in terms of watching the diet and making sure it's done right.

Juergensen said his team has the luxury of Rob Buck, the owner of Next Level Fitness who works with the Thompson Valley Wrestling Club. Buck will design meal plans for wrestlers to make sure they are eating right and staying hydrated.

"We make sure that they're not doing it yo-yo style, where they're going up 10 pounds every single week and then having to cut down," Juergensen said. "If they do that, they probably won't be as good of a wrestler as the end of the season, because it's too hard on the body. That's a discipline thing."

Wrestlers cut weight for a variety of reasons. On rosters around the state, wrestlers cut weight because they can't beat the kid out at their natural weight, and if they want to compete, they have to move down. But the best reason Juergensen said is a selfish one.

"In all honesty, we've always coached it as a team, to put together good dual teams," he said. "But I'd never tell a kid he couldn't go down to a certain weight if they feel they need to get down there because that's where they're going to feel strongest at the state tournament. I do think there's a selfish part of the sport too, where you need to only be thinking about yourself to put yourself in the best position possible for the state tournament."

Marquez, who started the football season at 180 to better take the pounding at running back, went through the process last year, noting it was much more difficult then. He said starting bigger gives him the advantage of knowing what it takes to compete against bigger guys, giving him more confidence when he drops down.

"I get to eat, and I get to focus on my wrestling in the beginning, not worrying about my weight," he said. "I can focus on being a better wrestler. When I do cut down, it's easier, because I get those two pounds, so it's not a hard cut. I can still focus on my wrestling."

By moving down, the goal is to eventually move up. On the podium, that is, the final day of the season. He was third a year ago as a junior, and if he can take the final two steps this year, all the soda and the extra helping of his mother's mole he's given up won't be missed at all.